Mining is a $530m gift to Ipswich, site claims

Peter Foley
Senior Reporter
Raised in Ipswich, I have been a reporter at The Queensland Times since 2002. I cover general news. For quite a few years I was responsible for the police round. My round now is local government. I also love covering horse racing when I can sneak out of the office.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has produced a website showing how valuable mining is to Queensland's economy.

The site includes an interactive map that breaks down what the QRC believes is the economic impact of mining to each local government area.

And it claims that mining adds $530m to the region's economy.

QRC chief executive Michael Roche said queenslandeconomy.com.au provides "unique and increasingly valuable insight into the socio-economic contribution of the resources sector for all Queenslanders".

"Capturing taxes and royalties paid to governments, shareholder returns and spending in communities across Queensland by local government areas, the benefits flowing from the state's leading export industries are transparent and have never been more accessible," Mr Roche said.

"The most significant result from 2011-12 data provided by QRC member companies is a massive surge in state-wide spending on wages, goods and services and community contributions.

"In 2011-12, companies spent a total $36 billion in Queensland, an increase of 44% over the previous year's record of $25 billion. This spend relates to both current and new project expenditures.

"As a result the sector's full-time equivalent workforce continues to increase but it is the economic flow-on from this $36 billion in spending that benefits communities around the state."

The QRC figures for the Ipswich local government area include:

$64 million in wages to 515 direct full-time employees (not including contractors).

$189 million in voluntary community contributions and purchases of goods and services from employing local businesses (including contractors).

Indirect economic contribution of $277 million in additional gross regional product (GRP) and 2536 jobs generated in and around the area.

The total economic contribution from the resources sector in 2011/12 amounted to about: